BGA Preview: Jets at Patriots

During the season, Bent's Game Analysis charts games for some of the Jets' upcoming opponents, enabling a break down of what to watch out for on gameday...

While it's still early in the season, we can look back at last week's game to get a handle on how this Patriots team compares to those of the past few seasons.

After the jump, I break down the positional groupings (BGA-style!) to try and highlight what the Jets need to look out for.

Quarterbacks

Other than a scare in preseason, when he suffered a knee injury in practice, it's been business as usual for Tom Brady, who led the Pats to a fourth quarter comeback win in the opener and threw for 288 yards and two touchdowns. However, he was uncharacteristically inaccurate by his standards, hitting on just 56% of his passes - a number he surpassed in all but one of last season's games.

The talk is that his talent in terms of receiving threats surrounding him has been downgraded, but he's always succeeded in the past regardless of who was with him. In the opener, Brady was without his top five targets from last season, a group that accounted for over 80% of his completions, yardage and touchdowns.

Still, there do seem to be some early season chemistry issues and while we can expect Brady and the Patriots to overcome these in the long run, it might be something the Jets can exploit. Injuries could exacerbate this problem even further because 75% of his targets last week went to Shane Vereen (who is out), Danny Amendola (who is doubtful) and Kenbrell Thompkins (who is healthy, but could play a reduced role if he doesn't improve).

As we know, the Jets usually try to pressure Brady up the middle and that's something they're equipped to do, even with Quinton Coples out. Against the Bills, Brady was pressured 19 times and his QB rating dropped to 51.3 on those plays. New England should counter with a no-huddle attack. In the Bills game, both teams went with plenty of no-huddle and the Patriots ended up running 95 offensive plays.

Offensive Line

The offensive line is a solid group for the Patriots. Tackles Nate Solder and Sebastian Vollmer and interior linemen Logan Mankins, Ryan Wendell and Dan Connolly have all been with the team for several years and should have good chemistry. There's no real weaknesses in that group and plenty of versatility to reshuffle the deck in the event of an injury issue.

I marveled last year at how backup tackle Marcus Cannon could go from looking so bad in preseason to ending up looking solid when called upon for regular season action. He got plenty of work last week as a jumbo tackle with Solder moving to tight end in those packages.

Running Backs

After Vereen's excellent first game, it's a break for the Jets to see him placed on temporary injured reserve with a wrist injury. This will also ensure he is sidelined when the teams meet again in week seven. However, the Patriots do have some depth at the running back position.

Stevan Ridley actually started the first game and averaged over five yards on nine carries, but was benched after fumbling a couple of times. Like Ridley, LaGarrette Blount is a former 1,000 yard back but he was less successful in his first game with New England, gaining just 15 yards on seven carries.

Brandon Bolden and Leon Washington are also on the roster but were inactive on Sunday. The issue for New England is that none of these backs have the same combination of ball security, pass catching and pass blocking skills that Vereen does, so their offense may lose some unpredictability if they try to use different backs for different things.

Receivers

Who are these guys? With Danny Amendola doubtful, New England will have to rely on rookies Thompkins, Josh Boyce and Aaron Dobson (who was inactive last week). Thompkins, an undrafted free agent who turned heads in preseason, did catch four passes for 42 yards in his first game, but he was targeted 13 times and wasn't always on the same page with Brady. Boyce and Dobson are yet to record their first NFL catch. The Patriots also have utility man Julian Edelman - a more than capable receiving threat, but not regarded as a number one receiver and all-pro special teamer Matthew Slater (who has one career catch) on their roster.

If Amendola can play, then that will provide a boost. He's one of the better possession receivers in the league and capable of being extremely productive. I wouldn't be surprised to see Isaiah Trufant draw the assignment if Amendola can go.

Normally, injuries at receiver wouldn't be a big deal for New England because they can lean on their tight ends, but they have issues there too. All-pro Rob Gronkowski is working his way back from injury and listed as doubtful. If he can't play, they have veterans Michael Hoomanawanui and Matthew Mulligan - both of whom are known more for their blocking skills - and rookie Zach Sudfeld, who had no catches in his first game last week. Jets fans will of course be more than familiar with Mulligan.

Defensive Line

While their offense is riddled with injuries, the Patriots defense is healthy for the most part and their starting lineup actually looks pretty solid.

The unit is led by Vince Wilfork, who might not be the player he once was, but is still a disruptive force. Rob Ninkovich and Chandler Jones are the ends. Ninkovich is not an elite player, but has made plenty of big plays against the Jets in the past. As for Jones, he got off to a great start as a rookie but fell off in the second half. His performance last week was good, suggesting he's going to get off to another strong start.

The only new starter on defense is Tommy Kelly, who joins the team after nine years as a Raider. The 32-year old has always been solid and is another guy who has troubled the Jets in the past. Depth-wise, there is less certainly. Rookies Joe Vellano and Michael Buchanan rotated in on Sunday.

Linebackers

At linebacker, the Patriots again have continuity with Dont'a Hightower, Brandon Spikes and Jerod Mayo. They all played well last year, but the Bills game showed you can run on them if you can get a blocker on Mayo. Look for Vladimir Ducasse to target him at the second level on some plays, leaving Nick Mangold to try to handle Wilfork or Kelly one-on-one. Tommy Bohanon's role should also be key, although in the past, the Jets have had better success against teams like New England by running from three wide sets.

The only other linebacker to get any reps last week was another rookie, Jamie Collins, who played just two snaps. Veteran Dane Fletcher is another option. New England will sometimes revert to a 3-4 look with Ninkovich and/or Jones on the outside.

Defensive Backs

At corner, the Patriots field two guys with off-field issues in Aqib Talib and Alfonzo Dennard. Dennard was a surprise bright spot as a rookie and Talib was an important mid-season acquisition. Kyle Arrington will play the slot and, in fact, played every snap against the Bills. Yet another rookie, Logan Ryan, is the next man up and New England can also lean on ex-Jet Marquice Cole, if required.

At safety, the Pats have former first round corner Devin McCourty who has settled well into his role as a deep safety. Steve Gregory provides a solid veteran presence beside him, starting 12 games last year. Third round pick Duron Harmon could move into a starting role eventually, but he missed the first game with an injury. Tavon Wilson is currently the third safety.

Special Teams

This is a strong unit for the Patriots, led by all-pro coverage man Slater. It looks like they downgraded at punter by letting Zoltan Mesko go. Rookie Ryan Allen replaced him and produced underwhelming numbers in the first game. Steven Gostkowski is a reliable kicker, who beat the Jets in overtime last year. In the return game, they have Leon Washington, but he was inactive on Sunday, so Edelman returned punts and Blount returned kickoffs.

Jets-49ers Week 14 Game Preview

SNY NFL Insider Ralph Vacchiano feels the Jets need to keep Bryce Petty under control and let Matt Forte lead the attack against the 49ers.

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.TV:

THE GAME: The Jets (3-9) at the San Francisco 49ers (1-11) at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. on Sunday, Dec. 11 at 4:05 p.m. ET.

THE WEATHER: After a few days of rain in the bay area -- which should do wonders for the generally bad field there -- it looks like things will be dry on game day. But it'll be cloudy with temperatures in the upper 50s or maybe around 60 with light winds.

WHAT IT MEANS: Yawn. … Oh, sorry, what was the question? Right, the meaning of this game. Well, it's mostly about draft order, I guess. Currently, the 49ers are picking second and the Jets are picking fourth or fifth. A win and the Jets put themselves in danger of slipping closer to the bottom of the Top 10. A loss, though, and they've got some potential for a Top 3 pick if things break right. Or wrong. Whatever. Also, I suppose this game has meaning if you're on the Todd Bowles Watch.

FNNY presented by Jeep: Common for NFL players to not remember games?

12:20AM

The FNNY panel touches on the report that Brandon Marshall told the Daily News he doesn't remember scoring three touchdowns in a 2014 game.

Read More

Share:

GEICO SportsNite: Jets place Nick Mangold on season-ending IR

12:06AM

Share:

GEICO SportsNite: Mangold to IR00:01:25

Willie Colon comments on Nick Mangold's career after the Jets placed him on injured reserve.

Share:

Wilkerson says 'tighter coverage' would have led to more sacks

Dec 8 | 7:30PM

Share:

New York Jets defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson (96) celebrates a sack with teammates during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans Sunday, Dec. 13, 2015, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan) (Peter Morgan/AP)

Jets defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson responded "maybe a little tighter coverage and we get those sacks" when asked why New York was held to one sack in their 41-10 loss to the Colts Monday.

Fitzpatrick to serve as backup QB behind Petty

Dec 6 | 4:55PM

QB Ryan Fitzpatrick will serve as New York's backup quarterback for the remainder of the season, while rookie QB Christian Hackenberg will not play unless starting QB Bryce Petty suffers an injury, head coach Todd Bowles told reporters on Tuesday.

Bowles named Petty the starting quarterback following Monday night's embarrassing 41-10 loss to the Colts, relegating Fitzpatrick to the backup role.

When asked if the rookie quarterback would see any playing time this season, Bowles was quick to say only an injury would lead to Hackenberg taking the field.

TJB Post Game Podcast: Bryce Petty and the Heartbreakers

Dec 6 | 3:59PM

Share:

The Jets are free fallin, while Corey Griffin and Brian Bassett have their green hearts broken and are at a loss for answers. But they do find your voicemails…and talk about Bryce Petty, Todd Bowles, an uncertain future, and a nifty play by the pylon.

Read More

Share:

Jets waive C.J. Spiller and Jeremy Ross

Dec 6 | 3:10PM

Share:

New York Jets receiver Jeremy Ross (10) returns a kick-off against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. (Charles LeClaire)

New York also announced the signing of WR Darius Jennings to the practice squad, who will take the place of WR Mario Alford, who has been released.

Spiller signed with the Jets on Nov. 2 after playing two games for Seattle. Spiller appeared in four games with the Jets, returning five kickoffs for an average of 19.1 yards per return, along with recording three rushes and one reception on offense.

Read More

Share:

BGA: Insight and analysis from Week 13

By Bent | Dec 6 | 12:15PM

Share:

(Ed Mulholland)

The Jets were crushed by the Colts, 41-10, on Monday night at MetLife Stadium as they fell to 3-9 on the season. Bryce Petty replaced Ryan Fitzpatrick during the game and will be the starter for the remainder of the season. Here's insight and analysis regarding the Jets' awful Monday night performance...

Quarterbacks

Ryan Fitzpatrick's performance speaks for itself. He only completed one pass beyond the first down marker, had a completion percentage below 50 percent, and punctuated his performance with an interception on the kind of forced throw he's been unable to get away with all season.

Bowles names Petty starting quarterback for remainder of season

Dec 6 | 12:08AM

New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles named Bryce Petty the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season, barring injury, after he replaced Ryan Fitzpatrick midway through Monday's 41-10 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

Bowles said he planned to name Petty the team's starting quarterback for the rest of the year regardless of what happened Monday, adding that Fitzpatrick's ineffectiveness -- 5-for-12, 81 yards, no touchdowns and one interception -- in the loss to the Colts did not factor into the decision.

Petty completed 11 of 25 passes for 135 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions as he replaced Fitzpatrick for the second half, entering a 31-3 game.

Dec 5 | 11:46PM

Andrew Luck was nearly perfect in his return from a concussion, throwing for four touchdowns, three to Dwayne Allen, in the Indianapolis Colts' 41-10 romp Monday night past the inept New York Jets.

Not that Luck had to work very hard against the hosts, who were booed by a much-less-than-filled MetLife Stadium almost from the outset.

Luck missed last week's loss to Pittsburgh, cleared the NFL's concussion protocol on the weekend, and came back in style with a prime-time performance. He lifted Indianapolis (6-6) into a tie for the lead in the AFC South with Tennessee and Houston.

A witness said an argument took place between McKnight and the shooter before the shooter opened fire multiple times.

Read More

Share:

What did you think about the Jets' game?

Dec 5 | 11:15PM

Share:

We want to hear from you! What did you think of today's Jets game?

Record a reaction or question about the game, which may be used during TheJetsBlog Post Game Podcast, call 1 (831) 769-6387 or use this to record a message (please remember to leave your name and city):

New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles benched starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick in favor of backup Bryce Petty for the second half of Monday's game against the Indianapolis Colts at MetLife Stadium.

Fitzpatrick completed 5 of 12 passes for 81 yards with an interception and a 30.2 passer rating as the Jets trailed 24-3 at halftime.

Petty is making his first game appearance since Week 10, a 9-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in which he went 19-for-32 with 163 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Jets honor Joe McKnight with pregame moment of silence

Dec 6 | 7:16AM

New York Jets running back Joe McKnight walks back to the locker room following practice at SUNY Cortland. (Rich Barnes-US PRESSWIRE)

The New York Jets have held a moment of silence before their game against the Indianapolis Colts at MetLife Stadium to honor former running back Joe McKnight, killed last Thursday in Louisiana.

Authorities said McKnight, 28, was shot during a road rage incident that was possibly sparked by a driver cutting off another on a nearby bridge in Terrytown, across the Mississippi River from New Orleans. The shooter was identified by police as Ronald Gasser, 54, and he was released overnight, drawing criticism.

McKnight was rated the nation's No. 1 running back recruit when he came out of Louisiana in 2006 and signed with the University of Southern California. He was a fourth-round draft pick of the Jets in 2010 and played three seasons for New York. He spent a season with Kansas City, and most recently played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League.

Petty started against the Rams in Week 10 when Ryan Fitzpatrick was out with an injury, and completed 19 of 32 passes for 163 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. It was the first, and so far the only, start of his career.

While some have questioned why Todd Bowles has not given the young quarterback more opportunities to prove himself, many believe it is because Petty has simply not shown enough during practice to earn the starting job.

During the season, Bent's Game Analysis charts games for some of the New York Jets' upcoming opponents, enabling a breakdown of what to watch out for on game day…

This week's Monday Night Football will see the Jets hosting the 5-6 Indianapolis Colts. Despite having endured a disappointing year so far, the Colts were just one game out of first place in the AFC South entering this weekend. The Colts have lost three of their last four games, albeit to three potential playoff teams in Green Bay, Kansas City and Pittsburgh. The teams met early last year with the Jets defeating the Colts 20-7, again on Monday Night Football, in one of the best performances of the Todd Bowles and Mike Maccagnan era.

TheJetsBlog Podcast: Are the Jets Better Off Today?

Dec 4 | 11:54AM

Share:

Brian Bassett welcomes Brian Costello of the New York Post to the podcast, and they take a deep dive into the question of whether or not the Jets are better off today than the day when Woody Johnson flipped the switch from the John Idzik/Rex Ryan regime, to the current Mike Maccagnan/Todd Bowles duo. Later, SNY NFL Insider Ralph Vacchiano joins the show to talk about his Thursday conversation with Darrelle Revis at Florham Park, and to share his thoughts on Revis' future with the Jets.

Jets future up in the air for Revis, who wants to play in 2017

Darrelle Revis has made it pretty clear that he intends to play in 2017, telling SNY "I still have a lot of football to play." He even thinks he can still play football at a high level.

But at what position? And for whom? Neither of those answers are clear just yet. And though it's certainly possible that the Jets will simply part ways with the greatest cornerback they've ever had, a team source insisted not to rule Revis out of the Jets' 2017 plans just yet.

TJB Roundtable: Looking on the bright side

Maybe it is just me, but it seems like the Faustian bargain made by Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Jets on the eve of training camp signaled the end. Since then the trajectory of this team has been steadily downward: horrifying play at QB, the season-ending injury to Eric Decker, the immolation of Darrelle Revis as "player who gives a damn" … it has been rough. Hell, even Muhammad Wilkerson's reputation looks to be streaking down the Alpine Slide at Action Park!

But since we're Jets fans, we are notorious gluttons for punishment. So rather than dwell on all the bad stuff … what causes for hope do you have from what you've seen this season, Bent?

Read More

Share:

Gailey tries to evaluate Petty, Hackenberg despite lack of game time

Dec 2 | 8:06AM

Share:

New York Jets quarterback Bryce Petty throws the ball during warmups before a game against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium. (Scott Galvin/USA Today Sports Images)

New York Jets offensive coordinator Chan Gailey said young quarterbacks Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg need to get all the reps they can get to continue to develop.

Though the Jets have decided to turn back to Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback for the foreseeable future, Gailey said Petty "needs all of the work he can get," according to NJ.com's Connor Hughes.

"It helps to play in games. ... The probability in games, you've got a lot better idea of what's going to happen," Gailey said. "In practice, you only have about a 75 percent probability of how they're going to be, how they're to play, and how they're going to progress."

Petty has started just one game -- a 9-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 10 -- this season before head coach Todd Bowles opted to make Fitzpatrick, who led New York to 10 wins last season, the starter again.

Revis weighs in on retirement, possible move to safety, and more

Ralph Vacchiano reports from the Jets facility on the Darrelle Revis rumors of him possibly retiring after the 2016 season.

Darrelle Revis, the embattled Jets cornerback, insists that he has given no thought to retirement despite his age and his struggles this season, and that his love for the game of football is as strong as ever. In fact, in an interview with SNY.tv on Thursday, he said any questions about how much he still wants to play are "really bizarre."

That was the 31-year-old Revis' response to the latest round of criticism in what has become a miserable season for the future Hall of Famer. He has struggled on the field in a season he admits is "definitely not" up to his personal standards, and the shots he's taken in the media have been relentless at times.

The latest came in a report in the New York Daily News on Wednesday that quoted a "confidant" of the cornerback saying "If he had his way he'd be done right now. He doesn't want to play anymore."